Trying to Fix a Glitch

Hey Everybody, so I've been searching thru my posts to see if there are any grammatical errors and I have realized that anything I typed up in a Word document or a Google document and then paste into blogger, is highlighted white. I just wanted to tell you I will be fixing it, even if it means just retyping those posts. Sorry and I hope it isn't distracting when trying to read the posts. Hopefully I will find time tomorrow or this weekend and will be able to juts sit down and fix all the posts.

Some, but not all, of my shoes

Trying to fix these posts is like taking all (well almost all) my shoes out of my closet and throwing them into a pile to then organize and sort....and maybe get rid of a few pairs.

Interview With a Fellow Design Student #1 Featuring Gabrielle LaBerge

Gabrielle LaBerge is from Illinois, attends Purdue University for Apparel Design and Technology and will also be a sophomore with me next year. I first met her right before classes started, at a sort of optional get together for everyone in each college, and then divided into each specific major. There were only about 6 of us there when I was there, but it was a great way to meet people for the first time.

I am so glad Gabi agreed to the interview, she is very talented and has a great eye. Also, we were pretty much in almost every class together, but that happens when your major is small and the number of people in your grade is under 30. But, before I ramble on and on, here is my interview with Miss Gabrielle LaBerge.

What are you studying/majoring in? And why? 

I am majoring in Apparel Design and Technology at Purdue University. I chose this major because I have always loved art and fashion. I absolutely love to be creative and being an apparel design major definitely allows me to be that!

Why did you choose Purdue? And what made you want to decide on Apparel Design? 

I chose Purdue because of its Apparel Design program.  Out of all the schools in the Midwest (which is where I am from), I liked its program the best.  Coming into school, I was really skeptical on Apparel Design.  I have a ton of other interests including Psychology, Social Work, and Zoology.  I finally decided on Apparel Design because being creative and artistic have always defined me the most. 

Please describe what you made for the spring fashion show and how you felt seeing all your hard work going down the runway. Also, if you want, any funny stories about making your garment or any struggles. 

Gabi is on the left with her model (her sister)
wearing her design for the show.

For the Spring Fashion Show, I made a black fitted dress with a cutout on the chest with a chiffon butterfly print skirt over it.  It was quite simple but since it was technically the first real garment I have ever created, I made it way more complicated that it should have been.  I was just extremely happy to finally be done with it! After seeing it on the runway, I felt really proud though and saw that my hard work did pay off.  It made me really excited for next year’s show already!

What was your favorite class this past year/hardest and why?

My favorite class was called Introduction to the Apparel Industry.  In that class, we learned about some fashion history, designers, trends, fads, and also touched on production and marketing.  It was kind of just an overview of everything and was cool to learn.

What would you say is your dream job?

My dream job is to be a very successful fashion designer and have stores all over the world!

Who are your favorite designers?

My favorite designers are Oscar de la Renta, Yves St. Laurent, Stella McCartney, and Ralph Lauren.

Do you have a favorite quote? If so, please share.

I have way too many favorite quotes but here’s one that I love: “Believe in yourself so strongly that the world can’t help but to believe in you too.”

How would you describe your personal style?

I really don’t even know how to describe my style.  It kind of changes day-to-day depending on my mood! I’m not afraid to where crazy stuff, but I also love those days where I wear running shorts and an old sweatshirt.  If I had the budget, I know my style would be very classy, a little preppy, and a little old-fashioned because I love the tailored, classy, vintage look. 

What are your favorite stores?

My favorite stores are Victoria’s Secret, Forever 21, Neiman Marcus, and Goodwill! Recently, I've been addicted to finding clothes at Goodwill and changing them up.

What’s your must-have accessory?

Earrings!

What is your go-to outfit?

 Shorts and a crewneck sweatshirt

How are you spending your summer before sophomore year?

Currently, I have been looking for a job—but no luck yet.  So to keep busy, I have been drawing a lot, training for my first half marathon!, sewing a bit, and reading.

"I made these shorts yesterday from a pair of old jeans that didn't fit! I am also obsessed with American flag print right now." -Gabrielle LaBerge

Documentary Shedding Light on Why Women Love Shoes

A while ago I watched a documentary titled "God Save My Shoes" and I loved it so much I watched it again the night after. I don't know why it's taken me this long to write about it, it's a great documentary and very informational. 

Photo Credit: http://www.cinematoria.com

“God Save My Shoes,” a documentary by Julie Benasra, illustrates the connections between women and high heels. It explores and reveals the intimate and passionate relationship women can form with their high heels and why they feel that way. According to Fran Lidz, the documentary “takes a soft look at the psychological, soci-cultural and erotic power of vertiginous footwear” (Lidz). The documentary sheds light on the main question, “Why are shoes the most addictive item in a women’s closet? Why are women so intrigued?” For me, I love high heels I think they are a quick and easy way to transform any outfit into something glamorous and wonderful. They can boost my confidence and make me feel amazing and more confident than just trotting around in flats. Don’t get me wrong, I love flats (I love shoes in general), I just love all of my heels and more. Like some women in the documentary, I love to look at my shoes, put them on display in a way. I may not wear some more than once or a few times a year, but nevertheless I own them and I like showing them off to people.  In Lidz’s article it’s written that, ““High heels have a high transformational quotient,” Valerie Steele, curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, said by phone. “Try on a bathing suit in a boutique, and the unforgiving dressing room mirror reflects your same old self, exposing all your flaws. But try on a shoe, and your foot slips into a whole new identity”” (Lidz). I completely agree with this, many times I try on clothing in a store and it can completely ruin my mood if I have a bad fit experience, or something I envisioned goes awry and my ideal outfit can’t happen. However, when I try on heels, the possibilities are endless, the ideas flow and I have hope for potential outfits that would work or wear I could wear them. Personally, I am not always a huge fan of trying on things, but when I walk past the shoe section, something always catches my eye. In the words of Carrie from “Sex and the City,” “I like my money right where I can see it…hanging in my closet.” Someday I hope to create a pair of heels or a dress, or something that can make a woman somewhere feel absolutely amazing and confident and beautiful. That’s why I want to be a designer, that’s what this documentary made me feel, I want to make women feel beautiful and know that they can look fabulous and gorgeous and it’s not hard and doesn’t take any fussing and barely any effort. Beauty from within, and for me, shoes kind of help me feel that way. When I know I’m wearing the right shoes for the day, I feel like I can conquer the world. I highly recommend this documentary for anyone interested in learning some fun facts, listening to interviews with designers (even Christian Louboutin) and seeing different inputs from a wide variety of people about why women love high heels.

Works Cited 

Lidz, Fran. "Funny, You Don’t Look Fetish ‘God Save My Shoes,’ a Documentary About High Heels." The New

York Times: Movies. N.p., 23 Mar 2012. Web. 6 Jun 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/movies/god-save-my-shoes-a-documentary-about-high-heels.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.

Just An Update

I just wanted to write a short post on some future posts. For starters I will be posting interviews, such as from other students in apparel design from my year. Also, I have been talking to one of my friends about collaborating with her and having a few "How-To" segments for hairstyles, eye makeup tutorials, or really cool nail design demos. She is brilliant and I hope to hear from her soon. Also, if anyone receives the Rachel Zoe emails daily, I want to do something sort of similar, only maybe post once a week on one item I feel is absolutely amazing, whether it be shoes, earrings, a dress, etc. 

Me on the morning of the Purdue spring fashion show (April 6th, 2013).

Stay tuned, I am hoping to be able to post a lot more than I have been doing and I have some great ideas to keep things interesting and fresh.

Simple and Sweet or Daring Diva: You Create Your Dream Shoes

At some point every girl imagines a wonderful pair of shoes they would love to own. Whether they're a tomboy thinking of the perfect pair of sneakers, an athlete wanting an amazing set of cleats, or an avid vintage girl wanting to rock the perfect pair of oxfords. Shoes can have an effect on people, they can change your mood and how you feel about yourself. I know whenever I'm really stressed or stuck and need inspiration I'll go on the web and search for crazy and unique Louboutins. It's just what I do.



For a while I've been using a website to design my own shoes, and using the creations as inspiration for outfits I then sketch, or the other way where my sketches fuel my ideas behind the shoes. The website is called "Shoes of Prey" and they have a wide variety of options to pick from to create your dream shoes. You can make flats, sandals, ankle boots, wedge heels, flat oxfords, and various options for heels in general.
The process is simple. First, you pick what type of shoe you want to make, for example I can choose high heel and then it takes you to what I call the "Creation Station" where you can alter the heels in many ways. You can change the toe (some options include small peep-toe, covered peep-toe, and brogue toe), the back of the heel (brogue, sling, cut-away), the type of heel (stiletto, square, wedge or even two-toned wedge), ad lastly you can add decorations to your shoes (bows or flowers to either the back or the toe, Mary Jane, trim). Then you get a side bar to pick the fabrics you want for your design (they boost having over 170 options). The fabric options are amazing, you can pick from dozens of different shades and kinds, they even have vegan. Within the different types (cotton, soft leather, suede, snake skin, etc.) they have a variety of colors, which is amazing. On top of all of these, once you choose one fabric they provide you with recommendations that either matches, contrasts, or are neutrals that go with the choice you selected.



Overall, I love this site, and you can pin your creations to Pinterest or upload them to other websites, etc. It's a great way to put your ideas on paper in a way. The shoes have free shipping and can be returned within 365 days, they'll either remake them for you or offer a full refund. I have yet to actually pay for one of my designs to be created, not just because of the price, but because I honestly don't know which ones I would want to be created. 

Here are two pictures, the one on the left is the physical shoe made and the one on the right is what it looks like on the website (like the others above).

All of these pictures are designed by me, they aren't all of my creations but just a handful. Hope you enjoy them and are inspired to go and design some yourself!!

Inspirational People #3

After some thought, I decide my inspirational person most recently has been Lana Del Rey, the singer. This past semester at college I listened to her music almost every day. Her voice is soothing but powerful. I also love her music videos, they've inspired multiple pages in my sketch book and I would often listen to her songs during art class when working on projects.

Now for a little more information about the sultry American singer: First off, she was born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant on June 21st, 1986. Besides going by Lana Del Rey, she is also known by her other stage names such as Lana Del Rey Mar, Lizzy Grant, May Jailer, and Sparkle Jump Rope Queen. She’s a New York native that brings references from pop culture, other singers, a few being Elvis, Janis Joplin, and Eminem, as well as looking to poetry and film noir for inspiration. On top of theses her songs and music videos bring a sense of the 1950s and 1960s Americana feel. While her music career had a bumpy start and she often changed her stage names with each new attempt, she found a different road to go down before her first major CD. At age 20 she had moved to a trailer outside of NYC, and after her record was shelved, she turned her focus around and started focusing on community outreach and helping others. In 2012 Lana Del Ray told Vogue, “Homeless outreach, drug, and alcohol rehabilitation—that's been my life for the past five years” (Sowray). Later, in October 2011, she changed her name again to Lana Del Rey and signed a joint record deal with Interscope Records and Polydor (Sowray). However it wasn’t until January 2012 that her debut album, “Born To Die,” was released and it charted at number one on the UK Album Chart (Sowray). Since then she’s released another album, several music videos, and managed to win quite a number of awards beating out other top musical artists in the process. She’s even on the track for the movie “The Great Gatsby.”

Lana Del Rey. http://www.lanadelrey.com/gallery

One reason I look to Lana Del Rey for inspiration is her looks, which are unusual but in a great way. She looks classic but futuristic and when paired with her voice everything just flows together and makes the whole package even better. On choosing her name she explained to Vogue, “I wanted a name I could shape the music toward. I was going to Miami quite a lot at the time, speaking a lot of Spanish with my friends from Cuba- Lana Del Rey reminded us of the glamour of the seaside. It sounded gorgeous coming off the tip of the tongue" (Sowray).

So, for many reasons Lana Del Rey is a wonderful inspirational person, and I picked her because her music and the videos she creates for them make people feel and experience the words of her songs. I urge you to listen to her music or look up even more information about her if she intrigues you.

Works Cited

Sowray, Bibby. "Who's Who Lana Del Rey." Vogue. 10 February 2012. Web. <http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/biographies/lana-del-rey>.